Authors: Rachelle McCalla
Isabelle pinched her eyes shut and prayed. The motorcycle picked up speed along the rutted road, and she could feel Levi shifting his weight from one side to the other to keep them from tipping on the uneven track. Hoping
to help balance the bike, she focused on moving with him as he leaned to one side and then the other. The last thing they needed was to wipe out and injure themselves or damage the bike.
“Oh, Lord, get us out of here in one piece.”
“What?” Levi’s question made Isabelle realize she’d started praying out loud.
“Sorry. I was just praying.”
“Well, keep it up. Here’s the highway. Those guys’ buddies
could catch up to us anytime.”
“Right.” Isabelle peeked her eyes open just enough to see the paved track that wound its way up from the Mursia River through the mountains. Though she hated to think how easy they’d be to find on the highway, she knew of no other passable route through the jagged peaks. At least she’d gotten safely out of her own country. She could only hope the insurgents would
move about less freely here.
With a smooth road stretching out before them, Levi picked up the bike’s speed considerably. Isabelle relaxed now that she no longer had to worry about taking a spill on the rutted mountain path. She could feel exhaustion weighing on her, and realized she’d been up since six that morning. Though she wasn’t about to attempt to pull out her phone to
check the time,
she knew it had to be well after midnight, and she was tired.
Gradually, as no one caught up to them and the road twisted endlessly before them, Isabelle’s fears receded enough for her to contemplate the fix she was in. With her arms wrapped tight around Levi’s shoulders and her body pressed to his, it was difficult not to think about the man who had done so much to secure her liberty.
She’d
hadn’t missed the compliment he’d paid her back in Dom’s office—his comment that the Sanctuary agents had to make her picture uglier, since she couldn’t be any prettier. Warmth spread through her at the memory of his kind words. Had he been trying to flirt with her? He didn’t act flirtatious otherwise, but as she’d admitted to him already, she didn’t have any experience with men. How would she know
if he felt something for her? She felt her grip on his shoulders relax slightly as she pulled hesitantly away from him.
Levi nudged her with his elbow. “Don’t fall asleep,” he cautioned her. “I don’t want you to fall off the bike.”
Rather than let him believe she could possibly nod off with danger so close on their trail, Isabelle held on more securely, tucking her head against his broad back,
out of the wind. Levi was a good man. And maybe she wouldn’t mind if he felt something for her.
After her experiences with Tyrone Spiteri, she hadn’t wanted anything to do with romance. But as she held tight to Levi’s strong shoulders and their motorcycle hurtled through the mountains, she realized for the first time that she might not be so against falling in love, if she could fall in love
with someone like Levi.
Deep darkness had settled over the landscape. As they approached Tirana, Albania’s capital city, Isabelle wondered if she didn’t see a hint of light in the east, or if it was simply the light of the city ahead of them. Rinas International Airport
was located just northwest of the city, and they were approaching from the south, so they’d have to skirt the western edge of
the metro area to get there.
Several headlights pierced the sky behind them. “Can you tell if we’re being followed?” she asked Levi.
“No idea. Too many people are traveling into the city. The sun will be rising soon. I’ll do what I can to keep ahead of whoever might be following us, but I don’t want to draw too much attention to ourselves, either. As long as we’re not attacked, I’ll be happy.”
Isabelle settled back as Levi followed the signs that pointed the way to the airport. When they arrived Levi found a place to park the bike, and Isabelle’s legs wobbled unsteadily as she climbed off.
Immediately Levi’s steady hand supported her back. He met her eyes. “You all right?”
“Just tired.” She blinked back the sleep that had been creeping up on her all morning.
“You can sleep once we
get on a plane. Until then, let’s try to stick together.” He discretely unbuckled a holster and gun, lifting the seat of the bike and depositing the weapon in the storage compartment. Isabelle realized it would do far more harm than good to attempt to bring the weapon inside, but she felt a twinge more vulnerable leaving it behind.
“Do me a favor.” Levi reached toward her, plucking up the hood
of her sweatshirt and settling it over her head. “Try to keep yourself covered as much as possible. I know this isn’t your home country, but your picture is bound to have been on the news. Even if we’ve given the insurgents the slip, we can’t risk anyone recognizing you. Not yet.” He gently pulled the hood forward but didn’t seem satisfied by what he’d accomplished. “Can you wear your hair down?”
“I never wear my hair down.”
“Exactly. You’re always pictured with it swept up. Even on
your mission trips you wear it up in a ponytail.” His hands rested on the pins that held her upswept hair in place.
“Good point. You’ll have to help me.”
With the rising sun threatening to shed light on their actions, Isabelle worked quickly to pluck the pins from her hair, letting the disheveled curls fall
past the sides of her face.
“Now we’ll try the hood.” Levi pushed her hair forward as he settled the hoodie atop her messy mane. “How’s that?”
“Itchy.”
He made a face, then pulled out his sunglasses and perched the oversize shades on her nose. A smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “There. You hardly look like a princess.”
Isabelle couldn’t help smiling with relief that he’d managed to
disguise her identity somewhat. “Itchiness is a small price to pay in exchange for anonymity. Now let’s get rid of your beard so no one recognizes me because of you.”
They entered the airport and immediately the bright lights and early-morning stream of passengers made Isabelle feel slightly better. Levi found the ticket desk and used his own credit card to buy tickets for the next available
flight to New York City via Rome.
She breathed a sigh of relief once that important step was completed and they’d made it through security to the departure area, where many of the shops were located. They still had a couple of hours before the flight would board. “Let’s get rid of that beard.” She gave Levi’s scruffy chin a pointed look. “And I’d like to get some more practical footwear, if that’s
at all possible.”
They found sneakers in her size and comfortable socks to go with them. When Levi once again used his credit card to pay, all Isabelle could do was pray the insurgents hadn’t matched his name to the face on the Embassy security
camera—and she promised to pay him back as soon as she had the chance.
After grabbing a bite to eat, they picked up a shaving kit, but Levi balked when
Isabelle suggested he leave her alone while he went into the men’s room to shave.
“I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“What are you going to do—shave in a drinking fountain? Besides, I’d like to use the ladies’ room before we board our flight.” She watched Levi’s eyes narrow slightly—a move she’d already come to associate with him digging in his heels.
He led her to a large map of the airport
on a brightly lit central kiosk.
“There.” He pointed to a mark on the map. “Family rest room.”
She rolled her eyes at the stubborn man. “We’re not a family.”
“No—” he linked his arm through hers and led her in the direction of the restroom “—but it only has one door, so no one can walk in on you and carry you off. I’ll stand guard outside.”
Because there didn’t appear to be any families waiting
to use the special restroom at the early hour, Isabelle relented to allowing Levi to stand guard outside while she went in. After freshening up and brushing out the last of her royal hairdo, she stepped out. “Now it’s your turn. I’ll stand guard.”
“You’re not going to stand alone out in the open.” Levi tugged her back inside the restroom. “You can wait in here while I shave.”
Uncomfortable as
she may have felt sharing the small room with him, Isabelle knew Levi had a point. And because he promised not to do anything more personal than shave off his beard, she figured it wasn’t too inappropriate. As he’d pointed out several times already, she had a royal duty
to stay safe. If that meant standing by while Levi shaved, it was a small price to pay.
Unsure if she ought to be looking at
him, Isabelle could identify little else in the tiny room to keep her attention and found herself watching Levi as the white shaving foam he’d bought was peeled back by the razor, leaving a trail of tanned skin behind.
“You’re not used to wearing a beard, are you?”
“No. Our fathers agreed it would be best if I disguised my appearance somewhat because I was a member of the Lydian army for four
years and we weren’t sure who might recognize me—good or bad.”
“Our fathers?” Isabelle repeated.
“My father worked with yours to coordinate my position filling in for Alfred.”
Having accepted Levi’s hasty explanation for his role in protecting her back when they’d navigated the catacombs, Isabelle now realized she understood precious little about how he’d been appointed. “Why did they select
you to guard me?”
Levi focused his eyes on his reflection in the mirror as he shaved and moved his mouth little as he explained, “None of the royal guard could be trusted. We had no way of knowing who else might be in league with the insurgents. When King Philip called the Sanctuary office, my father recognized that whoever was sent to protect you would need some level of familiarity with Lydia.
Because I had spent so much time in the country, I was the obvious choice.” He tapped his razor against the sink.
Piecing together the bits of the story he’d shared with her, Isabelle clarified, “So you’re usually a bodyguard in the United States?”
Finished shaving, Levi turned on the water. “I’m not usually
a bodyguard. I work for Sanctuary as a lawyer.” He bent his head over the sink and splashed
water on his face.
Isabelle studied the smudged white tuxedo shirt that stretched across Levi’s well-muscled back as he washed the last of the shaving foam from his face. His jacket had never made it across the river. She pulled a few paper towels from the dispenser and handed them to him as he turned off the water.
“You’re a lawyer?” The revelation made her consider how close she’d come to
being captured so many times—and she hadn’t even had a real bodyguard to protect her. “That’s the best Sanctuary had? They couldn’t even send a real bodyguard?”
He lowered the paper towels from his face and his cold blue eyes met hers. For the first time she saw his whole face without the shaving foam and without the beard.
Oh, was he handsome!
Her heart gave a little flip as she saw—really
saw—for the first time the man who’d saved her life so many times. With his face and neck bare of the dark hair, he suddenly seemed more human, and more vulnerable.
And, oh, was he mad!
He took a step closer to her in the tiny marble-tiled restroom. “I got you safely out of the country, didn’t I? How many thugs have I wrestled in the past twelve hours? How many times have I carried you?”
Isabelle
swallowed and tried to look away, but his eyes held hers. She couldn’t answer his questions—she’d lost count already. And she couldn’t think straight with the sudden realization that had hit her.
She didn’t want Levi to be upset with her. If they’d met under different circumstances, she could well imagine herself having a crush on him.
Maybe she had a crush on him anyway.
But it was far too
late to make a good first impression. “I’m sorry.” She reached for his arm, but he stepped back beyond her reach. She let her hand fall to her side. “You’ve been an excellent bodyguard. I was just surprised. And I’m tired.”
He turned his back to her and pitched the shaving items into the trash. “I’m tired, too. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
Isabelle studied his face in the mirror. He’d been
plenty good-looking with the beard, she realized, but looking at him without it made her weak in the knees. She reached out a tentative hand and wiped away a bit of foam by his ear.
“You had a little shaving cream,” she explained.
He met her eyes, and she felt her heart melt a little bit more. She cleared her throat. “I trust you.” She looked at the door and wondered what they’d face once they
stepped beyond it. “You’re the only person I trust right now.”
Levi didn’t smile. “I can only pray that I will not fail your trust.” He stepped between her and the door. “Because I’m only a lawyer.”
L
evi stepped cautiously from the restroom with Isabelle at his side. He studied the face of each person who passed by them, wondering how long it would be before their pursuers caught up to them and how he could possibly recognize them when they did. He didn’t doubt that they would eventually track them to the airport. His only hope was to be ready when the next attack came.
To his relief,
no one accosted them while they waited for their flight, and they were able to board the plane safely. Levi mentally cataloged each person near them on the plane, alert for the possibility that any of them might be trailing the princess. But no one seemed to pay them any extra attention. And no one seemed to recognize the princess among them.
Granted, Isabelle didn’t look particularly royal in
her cast-off jeans and bulky hooded sweatshirt. Her hair still obscured much of the sides of her face, and the only traces of makeup that remained from the evening before were the dark smudges under her eyes. She looked weary.
“Try to get some rest,” he suggested as she settled in to the window seat and he took the place between her and the aisle. “Even if the insurgents know we’re on this plane,
I doubt they’ll make any move until we land.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she whispered, leaning close
to his ear. “The men who were after us no doubt realize by now that we made it into Albania, and if they guess that we’re going to fly out, this is the only international airport. Do you think they’ll realize we might be headed to New York?”
“It
is
the logical place for you to go. Even if
they don’t realize the connection with Sanctuary, the United Nations is headquartered in New York City, and we may need their help getting the insurgents removed. They may have already guessed that’s where we’re headed.”
“So they may be waiting for us there.”
Levi had reached the same conclusion already but appreciated that Isabelle had grasped the situation. At least he didn’t have to break
the news to her. They weren’t out of the woods yet.
Far from it.
He could only imagine the insurgents would become more desperate the farther Isabelle flew from their clutches. He was amazed the men at the river hadn’t shot them on sight, but he wasn’t about to mention that to the princess. She’d been through so much already.
Instead, he focused on easing her fears for their safety. “I’m the
one they’re least likely to recognize, especially now that I’ve shaved off my beard. We’ll stay on the plane when it lands in Rome. I’ll keep an eye out for trouble, but they may be waiting for us when we reach New York. When we exit the plane, I’d like you to stay close behind me. If possible, keep your face blocked from view.”
“How am I going to do that?” As they whispered, Isabelle had pulled
her face closer to his. Now he could feel her breath near his ear as she spoke and caught the sweet scent of the cinnamon roll she’d eaten at the airport.
Refusing to be distracted, he focused on the challenge ahead of them. “Keep your hair down and your hood up. That
should help. Wear my sunglasses and walk close to me. Bury your face against my shoulder as much as you can.”
“I thought we were
going to try to act like students,” Isabelle challenged him. “This sounds more like your other plan.”
“For this purpose, acting like we’re a couple may be more practical. Just hold my hand and try to keep your face out of sight.” He dipped his head so he could see her eyes clearly and was surprised by how close their faces were in the tight quarters of the coach-class seats. His breath caught.
“Can you handle that?”
Her warm brown eyes looked hesitant, but then a smile bent her lips. “It’s too late to buy a burqa, so I guess your plan will have to work.”
The smile warmed him far more than it should have, and he found himself smiling back. It occurred to him that he wouldn’t have to fake anything to play a man in love with her. The real trick would be convincing himself that he felt
nothing. “Good. Don’t worry about our landing. Get some rest.”
Their flight to Rome would last just over an hour—they wouldn’t even change time zones—and Levi was determined to let Isabelle get as much sleep as possible. Although he was exhausted, he couldn’t risk sleeping through their stop in Rome. Once they were back in the air again he’d rest on the flight to New York—assuming they made it
that far.
To his relief, Isabelle slept through their stop, which was uneventful. Once the plane was in the air again, he settled in to rest. It was a ten-hour flight to New York, but with the six-hour difference in time zones, it would only be four hours later when they landed—just before noon if everything went smoothly. And Levi prayed everything would go smoothly.
Isabelle awoke somewhere
over the Atlantic Ocean with a kink in her neck. Levi slept soundly with his head lolled back
in his seat. She marveled that he could still look so handsome in such an awkward position.
A small plastic cup of liquid was perched on the tray front of her. Recognizing her in-flight Coke, she downed the drink, grateful for something to wet her throat after the dry air of the plane and hoping the
caffeine would help her wake up.
The sunrise had caught up with them and now bright light streamed in through the cabin windows. Isabelle would have been surprised that Levi could sleep in the circumstances, except that she knew he had to be exhausted. She had been, too.
So much had happened since the last time she’d slept. The day of the state dinner had been a busy one, and she’d had just
enough time to get ready and dash to her limousine before her entire world had been rocked by the blasts from the ambush. Her life now felt like the images she’d seen on Dom’s television of the burned-out remnants of the royal motorcade: a smoking, hollow shell of what it once had been.
She thought back to that newscast and the absence of any bodies among the wreckage of the royal motorcade.
Her father had been wise to keep her siblings separated. Was it possible her brother or sister had survived the attack? Isabelle recalled the way the hood of a vehicle had slammed into the windshield of her car. Could anyone have survived such a blast? Or might her brother have escaped before the explosion?
She could only be certain of one thing—she was alive. And as long as she was alive, for
however long it took, she’d do what she could to bring the insurgent forces to justice. If any members of her family had lived long enough to escape, she prayed God would be with them and keep them safe.
As Isabelle’s prayers for her family poured from her heart silently to God, the plane ride passed quickly. Soon she could see the Statue of Liberty welcoming them as she had many a
weary traveler
over the years. New York spread out beyond them as the plane neared JFK airport.
Because Levi looked so peaceful in his sleep, Isabelle was reluctant to wake him. When she finally nudged him awake as the plane prepared to land, she realized with regret that they didn’t have much time to discuss where they were headed once they left the airport. She knew he planned to take her to Sanctuary International
headquarters, but she had no idea where that was, other than being somewhere in the vast city.
As soon as his eyes popped open, Levi appeared to be in bodyguard mode again. “I’m going to call someone to pick us up,” he explained quietly as he straightened from his slumped sleeping position. “But we’ll have to be careful. We don’t want to lead anyone back to the Sanctuary headquarters. The headquarters
are disguised and unlisted. We can’t risk giving away their location—for your safety and that of so many others. If I have any concerns that we’re being followed, we’ll take a circuitous route and switch cars if we have to.”
“What if we become separated?” Isabelle had never had to navigate the city or its complicated transportation systems alone—and now was the worst possible time to have to
learn.
Levi looked almost startled by her question. “You’re going to stick so close beside me that no one can see your face,” he reminded her.
“But if we have to switch cars—”
“Then go to the UN.” He stood as the passengers rose to exit the plane.
Isabelle rose next to him and fluffed out her hair to hide as much of the sides of her face as possible before slipping on the sunglasses.
Then
Levi wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her close against his shoulder. “Let’s stay in the middle of
the crush of exiting passengers. That will help obscure us. And you need to keep your head down. I’ll keep an eye out for trouble.”
Isabelle obediently ducked her head against his shoulder, pressing her cheek against the smooth cotton of his shirt. She could feel his pulse beating away
with a steady, reassuring rhythm as they paused in line, waiting to leave the plane.
Her own pulse had kicked into an anxious staccato as she tried to anticipate what might be waiting for them. Much as she wanted to believe that they were almost to safety, she’d thought the same thing when they’d entered the Embassy in Sardis. And she’d been so very wrong then.
As they stepped into the airport
the crowd shifted, and their fellow passengers dispersed. Although she’d flown into JFK more than once over the years, Isabelle hardly knew her way around the vast complex of gates. She kept her eyes on the floor and focused on matching Levi’s stride as he made his way through the terminal, trusting him to find the way and avoid trouble.
The muscles in his shoulder tensed.
“What?” she whispered.
“I’m not sure—” he kept moving and didn’t look down “—so many people are moving in the same direction, it’s difficult to tell if any of them are following us.”
Isabelle didn’t know what to make of his comment, but she took it as a bad sign. She doubted Levi would have admitted his concern if he hadn’t sincerely suspected someone was showing them undue interest. But there was little she could
do other than keep her head down and keep moving.
She let herself breathe a small sigh of relief once Levi had completed his phone call to the Sanctuary office for a ride. “How are we doing?” she asked, keeping her face in his shadow as she looked up in an attempt to read his expression.
The slight smile on his lips was warm, but his eyes looked
wary. “We’re going to have to play the couple,”
he said, leaning down to nuzzle her forehead with his nose.
The contact surprised her, but she also found it comforting and had to remind herself that he was only acting. She leaned into him slightly. “You think we’re being followed?”
His nose traced her hairline until his lips hovered just beyond her ear. “There are two men who’ve been behind us ever since we left the plane. One of them took
your picture a moment ago, though I can’t imagine he got much more than your hair.”
Isabelle’s breath caught and she rested her forehead against Levi, needing the comfort his presence offered, even if they weren’t really the couple they wanted everyone else to see. As a member of the royal family, she’d had her picture snapped by strangers many times—but none of those strangers had been out to
kill her.
“What are we going to do?” she asked quietly, aware that the man she spoke to wasn’t a bodyguard or even a Sanctuary International agent. He was a lawyer, and for all she knew he didn’t have any clue more than she did about evading the men who were after her.
But she didn’t have anyone else to turn to.
“We’ll have to kill time before the car arrives. I’m going to try to shake them.
Whatever you do, stay close to me and keep your face out of sight. As long as they’re not sure you’re the person they’re supposed to be following, we stand a chance of losing them.”
Isabelle did exactly as she was told, keeping her face out of sight and hoping she and Levi looked like a romantic couple. They paused several times with Levi’s arms around her, his face close to hers as they consulted
about their next move, hoping to give anyone watching them the impression that they were two people in love, so absorbed with one another that they didn’t care about anything beyond themselves. Their
cover was so far from the truth—and yet Isabelle found herself wanting to believe it, to feel the affection Levi offered as he pressed his lips near her ear, to believe that the arms around her were
not a shield, but a loving embrace.
“Now what?” Isabelle asked as they came to a stop near the doors to the outside.
“Here comes our car,” Levi sounded hesitant, “right on time.”
“Are we going to get in it?”
“Those two men are still watching us.”
Isabelle’s heart sunk. After all their maneuvering she couldn’t imagine the men were following them by accident. She wrapped both arms around Levi’s
shoulders, wishing there was some way she could hide. But obviously they’d already found her. She hiccupped back a fearful sob.
Levi’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer into his warm embrace.
“Do something,” she begged him, daring to look up into his eyes.
He bent his face closer to hers and his lips grazed the arch of one eyebrow.
Isabelle recalled all the negative articles that
had followed her breakup with Tyrone Spiteri. They’d called her frigid, dispassionate, unloving. But she was none of those things.
Tentatively, she raised her face closer to his.
The men were searching for the Ice Princess. They didn’t think she was capable of affection. Could she throw them off her trail?
Levi cupped her face in both hands, as though he could block all sight of her from the
men who were watching. “Shall I?” he asked hesitantly, drawing closer by millimeters.
Instantly she realized what he was about to do. At the same second, she knew she sincerely wanted him to.
Unable to find her voice, Isabelle gave a tiny nod, and then Levi’s lips met hers.
It was nothing like the kisses she’d shared with Tyrone—
nothing
like them. Relief washed over her along with a rush of
attraction toward the man who’d proved she really was capable of affection.
No matter what the media said.
Her hands tightened their grip on his shoulders and she rose up on her tiptoes as though doing so would help her kiss him better. To her delight, he didn’t pull away but seemed to lose himself in the contact between them.